Carrie's Calamity

Prologue Penny Lopez had no idea what a sprange flocket was, but that didn’t matter. Daddy had told her it shouldn’t cost more than two pounds fifty and she could spend the change on sweets. She clutched the three pound coins tightly in her fist and skipped to the shops, wondering if she should buy two lollipops and a cheap bar of chocolate or if she should spend all her money on an expensive chocolate bar with caramel and raisins. The hardware shop was at the end of the row of shops. Penny had to pass the newsagents to get there. She peeked in through the newsagents’ window at the sweets display near the till. Her mouth watered. Maybe she would buy four lollipops and save one for her friend, Joe, who lived next door. If she gave him a lollipop, maybe he would agree to play camping in his garden. Penny pushed open the heavy glass door to the hardware shop, setting the bell jangling. At first, she didn’t notice anything different, except that she couldn’t see the owner, Mr. Culverstark, who usually said a cheerful hello. Daddy often sent her on errands to the hardware shop. Mr. Culverstark knew her name and always seemed happy to see her. Penny surveyed the gloomy, cluttered shop, wondering where Mr. Culverstark had gone. Something moved. She turned towards the thing, but it wasn’t Mr. Culverstark. It was a big, heavy piece of equipment that she didn’t recognise. It was approaching her. A scrape and a rustle came from another direction. Penny spun around. Mr. Culverstark was fighting with a contraption made of metal and canvas. The thing was wrapping itself around the old man’s head. She could see his eyes above the canvas, wide and white. The three pound coins Penny was carrying clattered to the floor. She screamed. Mr. Culverstark managed to work his mouth free. “Penny,” he gasped. “Run!”